David Boyle (1 May 1842 – 14 February 1911) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

. Born in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

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, Boyle arrived in Upper Canada, where most of John Boyle’s family had already located, from Scotland in 1856 and

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

d to a blacksmith. He would become a teacher in rural

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 1865, a school principal in Elora 1871-1881, and later a bookseller in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Boyle followed what were then "radical child-centered theories" of

Johann Pestalozzi Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (, ; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. He founded several educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking r ...

. In 1884, Boyle became

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the Canadian Institute Museum, a post he held until 1896, and was curator of the Ontario Provincial Museum 1886-1911. He cultivated a core of loyal collectors across southern and central Ontario who assisted him in archaeological digs and in collecting artifacts for the museums. These men included Andrew Frederick Hunter, George E. Laidlaw, J. Hugh Hammond, John Long, Dr Thomas W. Beeman,

William Wintemberg William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

and

Frederick William Waugh Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

. He was also the Secretary of the

Ontario Historical Society The Ontario Historical Society is a non-profit organization centred on the preservation of Ontario’s history. It is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors, and its members include individuals as well as historical institutions from across ...

after 1898, and became highly influential in the local historical societies that grew up in Ontario in the late nineteenth century. In 1898, Boyle also began to conduct ethnographic fieldwork at the

Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...

reserve near Brantford, after having met

John Ojijatekha Brant-Sero John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

through the

Canadian Institute The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science. History The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...

. He later met Dr. Peter E. Jones of the nearby Mississauga of the New Credit reserve who also assisted him in his fieldwork. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate David Boyle's role in Ontario's heritage. His work served as the basis for

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

as a serious scientific discipline in the province. Between 1887 and 1911, he published ''Annual Archaeological Reports for Ontario'', Canada's first journal primarily dedicated to archaeology. In 1908 he was the third recipient of the

Cornplanter Medal The Cornplanter Medal was named for the Iroquois chief Cornplanter and is an award for scholastic and other contributions to the betterment of knowledge of the Iroquois people. It was initiated by University of Chicago anthropologist Frederick S ...

. Boyle was also a history buff and

preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...

, as well as the author of a book of nonsense

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

for children. He died in 1911 in

after a serious stroke. His papers are housed at the provincial Archives of Ontario, the University of Toronto Archives, and at the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

archives.

Notes

Sources

*Killan, Gerald. "Boyle, David" in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', Volume 1, p. 264. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1988. *Killan, Gerald. ''David Boyle: From Artisan to Archaeologist.'' Toronto: UTP, 1983. *Killan, Gerald. ''Preserving Ontario's Heritage: a History of the Ontario Historical Society.'' Ottawa: Love, 1976. *Hamilton, Michelle A
''Collections and Objections: Aboriginal Material Culture in Southern Ontario, 1791-1914''
Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.

External links

Notes on Primitive Man in Ontario
*Archival papers held at University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, David Canadian archaeologists Scientists from Toronto Writers from Toronto Canadian blacksmiths Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario 1842 births 1911 deaths Scottish poets 19th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian educators Canadian musicologists People from Greenock 19th-century British male writers 19th-century British writers Immigrants to the Province of Canada